sharapova

Russian Maria Sharapova has announced that she will not be able to take part in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tournament in Birmingham and the season's third Grand Slam tournament at Wimbledon due to a thigh injury she suffered in Rome.

"After an additional scan, the muscle tear that I sustained in Rome will unfortunately not allow me to compete in the grass court tournaments I was scheduled to play," Sharapova wrote on Facebook on Saturday.

Five-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova has been awarded a main draw wild card into the 2017 Rogers Cup presented by National Bank, taking place August 5-13 at Aviva Centre in Toronto.

“Maria is a Grand Slam champion and a fan favourite,” said Karl Hale, tournament director, Rogers Cup Toronto. “She has served her suspension and we know our guests will be excited to see her play. She will join what is set to be a star-studded field, as we look forward to welcoming the best of women’s tennis back to Toronto this summer. It should be a fantastic Rogers Cup filled with high-quality tennis and entertainment.”

Maria Sharapova, who recently returned to the women's tennis circuit after a 15-month ban for doping, on Friday said she will not request an invitation to enter the main table of the Wimbledon tournament and will go through the qualifying rounds.

Through a statement on her website, the Russian explained the schedule of her grass court games, three days after the French Open authorities refused her request for an invitation.

After Canadian tennis player Eugenie Bouchard knocked Maria Sharapova out of the Madrid Masters in a three set marathon, the 23-year-old explained the importance of her win against a player she had accused of cheating.

The victory on Monday night saw Sharapova crash out of the second round as she continues her return to the WTA circuit following her suspension after being detected for using meldonium during the 2016 Australian Open.

Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova has said it was still too early to think about taking part the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Russian Tennis Federation (RTF) President Shamil Tarpishchev earlier said Sharapova was capable of winning at the 2020 Olympics, reports Tass.

"I have no such long-term plans yet as I was simply not thinking about it," Sharapova said on Wednesday.